Records + videos

plattenOur database allows you to get a overview of the recordings (cds, vinyls, 78RPMs) in the archive of the Jazzinstitut. While we may hold a total of about 80,000 records in all formats, about half of these have been indexed so far. Our video collection has been digitized and can be used on location.

This includes:

CDs: all CDs in our holding (except new arrivals and some collections still stored in our annex)

12″-LPs USA: all 12-Inch-LPs in the archive of the Jazzinstitut released under the name of an American musician (except new arrivals and some collections still stored in our annex)

12″-LPs D/A/CH: all 12-Inch-LPs in the archive of the Jazzinstitut released under the name of a German, Austrian or Swiss musician

12″-LPs GB/CZ: all 12-Inch-LPs in the archive of the Jazzinstitut released under the name of a British or Czech musician

10″-LPs: all 10-Inch-LPs in the archive of the Jazzinstitut

7″-EPs: all EPs in the archive of the Jazzinstitut

Videos:  movies and documentaries, concert videos, TV reports and much more

We have also indexed all 78-RPM (shellac) recordings in the archive of the Jazzinstitut. The rest of the LPs for our blues, gospel, rock, jazz & lyric collection as well as recordings released under the name of musicians from countries not listed above will be entered into our database soon.

Our database contains a mere listing of what we have. It is not meant to be a discography. We do not list the titles, personel and recording dates, as this information can be found in commercially available discographies. You can copy recordings at the Jazzinstitut, however only in reduced MP3 formats and only such recordings that are not at the moment available commercially.

This database is a "work in progress": We continually add new material; we also correct wrong entries as soon as we notice any mistakes.

The record collection in the archive of the Jazzinstitut is far from complete. However it covers a most stylistic directions of the music. It is not a "best of" but a survey of what has been recorded, whether highlight or mediocre, whether successful or experiment without results, whether swinging mainstream or cutting-edge between jazz and other genres. The collection was based on Joachimk Ernst Berendt's archive, but has since then grown and now comprises many private collections as well as recordings donated by record labels or musicians. We especially urge German record labels to keep their releases updated in our archive. After all, while we are the most important information center for musicians, promoters, journalists, researchers as well as jazz fans, we can only know about what has been released if we have seen and heard the new releases. If you are missing anything, please feel free to add to our collection by donating either historical or new recordings not yet listed here.

Thank-you

We have many volunteers who help us indexing our record collection. Our current volunteer staff caring about our record archive consists of Rainer Grobe, Helmut Lücke and Günter Schapka.